March 02, 2013, 0:37 UTC+3Once again the Ukrainian prime minister said that the price of Russian gas was a colossal burden on Kiev

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KIEV, March 2 (Itar-Tass) – Ukraine will not pay Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom 7 billion dollars for the under-consumption of gas in 2012, Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said on the Inter television channel.

“We replied to them very politely that we do not regard the seven billion dollars as a claim and we shall not pay the money,” Azarov said.

Once again the Ukrainian prime minister said that the price of Russian gas was a colossal burden on Kiev.

“We overpay an annual seven billion dollars,” Azarov said, adding that the high price put pressures on the exchange rate of the hard currency in Ukraine.

He recalled that the money was equivalent to four annual budgets of Ukraine’s road building and repairs program.